


Traditionally

by Dazzledfirestar



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Character of Color, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, F/F, F/M, Interracial Relationship, M/M, Multi, Not Agents of SHIELD Season 2 Compliant, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism, Polyamory, cast of thousands, mentions of poly relationships not featured in the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 16:24:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3177080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dazzledfirestar/pseuds/Dazzledfirestar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SHIELD has always asked a lot from its elite. From the very beginning, they've made sacrifices to keep the world safe from threats the world isn't ready to deal with. And that's why there has always been some leniency in their fraternization policies. Because when the weight of the world is on your shoulders, it helps to have people you love and trust as close as they can be. And when SHIELD falls, it seems that some traditions are worth carrying over to the next generation of protectors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Traditionally

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the polybigbang on LJ.
> 
> Thank you to ladydeathfaerie for the wonderfully thorough beta job and cheering me on through this!
> 
> Thank you to clexmonkie89 for the art to go with this huge undertaking! HERE IS THE LINK (coming soon)

It was something most of the people around them ignored or even encouraged. Everyone could die tomorrow after all. It was normal to want all the experience you could get in those times. Any comfort and warmth and love that one could get, one should hang onto with tenacity. These were the excuses that came from all sides in times like that.

Peggy welcomed the excuses. Even knowing that she was likely pushing the bounds of those excuses and the views of those making them far too far; she didn’t expect them to understand really. She was sure Steve didn’t give a rat’s ass either on the subject of people’s opinion and while Gabe was a little more likely to bring up both how he’d like to not care about people’s opinions too--and how he’d like things to keep going if and when the war ended--he knew how the world worked and he had no intention of dragging either of them down in any way.

The first time he said that, Steve had kissed him; hard and long and tender and wonderful. “We’re not stupid.” He got the words out between his kisses and Peggy’s. “We’ll find a way.”

“You’ve got a way of making that sound possible, you know that?” Gabe smiled and pulled Peggy closer for a longer, deeper kiss.

Steve sat back and watched the two of them for a moment. “Because you’re both worth it and anybody who can’t see that is an idiot.”

Peggy smiled into her kiss with Gabe. “He’s an idealist. Let him have his moment.” She whispered against Gabe’s lips.

“America isn’t kind to idealists.” Gabe sighed into the kiss but let Peggy and Steve take him to bed anyway. Because it was war time. Because they were lucky enough to have a bed between the three of them. Because they were the elite. They were lucky that way too and while that exalted state likely wouldn’t last, they felt they should take advantage of it while it did.

It was easier to believe that Steve might be right in those moments; the quiet ones, curled up between them, watching them kiss and kissing them both herself, over and over again. It felt timeless, over-romantic and perfect. And the rest of the time there were far too many other things to worry about. Not that that ever really stopped her from worrying about them while sitting in on debriefings and planning missions and sifting through MI6 intel. In those moments, she would brace herself with the pleasant memories and the beginning of it all.

There was no real defining moment where it all became clear and the sun shone down on the three of them declaring their togetherness from that point forward, amen. Peggy had laughed a few times that if one was shocked by Steve’s inability to talk to women, one had never witnessed him trying to chat up another man. She was willing to concede that there were clearly far more dangers in that action than asking a woman to dance but it was still spectacularly awkward to say the least.

And even so, Gabe seemed receptive. Guarded, yes but receptive.

Peggy stepped in and cut the tension, just a little. “Excuse me, Captain Rogers.” Steve smiled up at her and must have caught onto the minimal plan she had in her head in that moment. “Might I borrow Pvt. Jones for a few moments?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Steve looked over at Gabe.

Peggy followed his line of sight and smiled a little wider. “I was wondering, Private, if you wouldn’t mind dancing with me.” The look that passed between the two men was easy to read and one she was never particularly fond of. Even if everyone’s assumptions about her relationship with Steve had been true—and they were for the most part, aside from their thankfully similar taste in men—the idea that anyone would have to check with him to dance with her was one she wanted to destroy was quickly as possible. “If not, I could always buy you both a round.”

Gabe smiled and the look in his eye told her that he understood the misstep. “It’d be my pleasure, Ma’am.” They were almost to the dance floor, her hand resting on his arm when he spoke again. “Was this a distraction or a rescue mission?”

“Who would I be rescuing?”

“Do you always answer a question with a question?”

She smiled and stepped closer as his arm slid around her waist. She wasn’t sure whether she appreciated or regretted that he didn’t want to take any liberties, despite their nearness. “Only now and then when I’m not entirely sure which answer will keep the conversation going.”

He chuckled, spinning her out and back in, just a little tighter than before. “I guess that depends on where you want the conversation to go.”

She echoed the soft laugh and shook her head. “This may be the first time I’ve literally danced around a subject, Private.”

“Well, I’m glad I could be a part of a new experience for both of us.” He nearly grinned before spinning her across the floor again.

“The first of many, I hope.”

He let out another laugh; this one barely audible over the music even as it slowed down. “This is crazy.”

“Which part?”

“There are plenty of places where I’d be arrested for just dancing with you.”

“None of them are places I think I’d want to spend any time in, when this is all over.” She looked up into his eyes and tiled her head just a little before asking the next part of her question. “And Steve? Could you dance with him?”

Gabe couldn’t quite stop the smile that time. “In the right neighborhood maybe.”

“Hmm.” Peggy smiled, leaning in closer. It was a bold move and the decision to cross the line that early in the exchange was a tactical one. If she’d read the exchange between Gabe and Steve properly, this all hinged on Gabe’s willingness to partake in some female company as well; hers specifically of course. “And would there be a proper neighborhood for us all to dance together?”

He leaned away, looking her in the eye before pulling her close again. She didn’t get a good sense of what he thought of the current topic of conversation. “Would this be a quick spin or are you looking to fill the dance card?”

She leaned back again, smiling up at him. “Well, that all depends.”

“On what?”

“Well…” She risked a glance over at Steve and Gabe followed her gaze. “We’ll have to see how we all move together, won’t we?” Peggy barely contained the shiver the soft chuckle in her ear brought to life.

“How about we go join the good Captain for another drink and see where it all goes.”

Peggy had pressed closer by that point, feeling more confident in her assessment of the situation. “Let’s finish the song out.”

That one drink turned into two very drawn out drinks and the club was nearly empty the next time she looked up. But it was well worth it. The awkwardness had all but vanished between the three of them and Steve had seemingly realized that talking to her and to Gabe as his friends first was the way to go. She reached over, turning Steve’s arm in her hands to see his watch. “It’s getting late, gentlemen.”

“I think late showed up about an hour ago.” Gabe chuckled and finished his drink. He leaned back in his chair but made no real move to get up and go. Peggy considered that another victory for the evening.

She leaned in, her arms resting on the table and a small smirk on her face. “One more dance tonight, gentlemen?”

“I think don’t think the band’s going back on tonight.” Steve shook his head.

“I don’t think that’s what she meant, Cap.”

Steve lifted his head and smiled a little shyly. “I know what she meant. I just didn’t want to…” He shrugged and downed the last of his beer as if that might brace him a little. “I don’t want to push anybody into anything.”

“Nobody’s pushing.” Gabe sighed and leaned back just a little further. “I just have one question.”

“Shoot.”

“Why me?”

Peggy looked at Steve for a moment before answering for both of them. “Why anyone? You are intelligent, handsome. Clearly we all get along splendidly or one of us would have gotten up ages ago.” She watched as he spun that through his head for a moment and she could almost see the next question forming.

“There are lots of guys around here that fit that category. Ones you wouldn’t have to spend the night sitting around with to figure that out.”

“Gabe,” She pushed her luck a little but it seemed to get his attention. “I’ve known enough men like Sgt. Barn.s and the rest of them to know I am not interested. And something like this needs the right balance.” She reached out, putting her hand on his lightly enough that he could easily pull back if she went too far. “What I would like is to get to know what sort of man Gabriel Jones is.”

Steve’s hand landed on hers a moment later. “What I know so far, I really like.” He smiled a little more confidently that time. “That’s all there is to it.”

“It’s a lot to risk on a maybe…” He sighed and slowly turned his hand over, his fingers lacing with hers and Steve’s. He checked quickly to see if any of the staff were looking before quickly pressing a soft kiss to Steve’s lips. “You got a room, Cap?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do. You want to see it?”

Peggy laughed softly. “Oh, Steve… if you say one word about etchings, I’ll never forgive you.”

That night, those drinks, that dance could of course have been considered the beginning of it all. But there were other nights, other drinks, other stolen moments all over Europe that built everything between them. So many times, she imagined them out in the field in quiet moments, finding space to themselves just as she did with both of them when they came back to base. Time alone was at a premium for nearly everyone but the three of them managed time and again, in no small part due to Steve’s position and his ability to pull a few strings here and there.

She would admit to pulling a few strings herself along the way.

The process felt equally whirlwind and slow. She felt herself falling for both men, watched them in moments and glimpses falling for each other but there was so little time to just live in those feelings and the ever-present war and HYDRA drove home the immediacy of it all. There was no time to dither or waste on convention. They loved each other. That was to be celebrated and enjoyed while it could be. At least that was the line most people touted during the war.

So they took what they could, and slowly—or seemingly so in the madness around them—they fell in love.

That, however, never stopped the war or the horrible things that went along with it from finding them. Peggy had never really believed that love conquered all in the field of guns and explosions. It may sway people—at least she hoped it would—in matters of social standing and gender and race, but even then she was more likely to be dubious about the chances. Steve was the optimist on that front and she and Gabe were happy to let him wave the flag from there.

Until of course, he lost Bucky.

To her knowledge, neither of them had asked what the nature of his friendship with the other man had been. Not that it would have mattered what sort of love they’d had. He was, in Steve’s words, his family and that was all that mattered as she sat with him, staring at a half empty bottle of schnapps. “You won’t be alone.” She told him over and over again, her hand on his until finally, Gabe picked his way across the rubble of the bar and sat down on Steve’s left. Steve lifted his head, looking at Gabe for a long time before leaning in and resting his head on his shoulder. Peggy smiled, just a little and squeezed his hand. “See? Didn’t I tell you?”

She pulled her chair closer to his side and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Gabe’s voice filled both their ears a moment later; no louder than he had to be in the quiet, bombed out bar. “They’re interrogating Zola now. If Col. Philips gets anything from him—“

“He will.” There was a deep resolve in Steve’s voice. He clearly believed in the Colonel’s abilities but it also spoke to his deep need to have whatever information the doctor had; anything that would help in his new determination to hunt down Schmidt.

Peggy sighed and stood up, still holding Steve’s hand and gently tugging on it. “In that case, we should rest while we can.”

“I can’t sleep.” Steve’s voice nearly broke.

Gabe rested his head against Steve’s for a moment before tentatively pressing his lips to Steve’s temple. They weren’t allowed to be as demonstrative as she was with both of them—which granted wasn’t very demonstrative at all—and the sight of that kiss out in the open made her smile and wonder if someday, such things wouldn’t be as seemingly unacceptable as they were in that moment. “You don’t have to sleep.” Usually the words would have carried more implication on what the three of them could do with the time in which Steve was not sleeping. That feeling wasn’t there that time. Steve turned his head, catching Gabe’s lips in a soft kiss. “Whatever you need, Cap.”

“I…” He shook his head, taking another drink. He seemed to remember a moment too late that it wasn’t going to help. “Someplace quiet… just for a little while.”

Peggy stood, holding her hands out to both of them. “I know just the place then.” Steve lifted his head and sighed even as Gabe got to his feet. “You can bring the schnapps along, if you like.”

He stared at the bottle for a moment before shaking his head. “Won’t do any good anyway.”

“The serum didn’t actually change that.” Peggy spoke quietly. Steve nodded in agreement and got up, pushing his chair back in despite the state of the place. It was things like that that she loved about him. That and the sense of determination, whether it was realistic or not. Would he be able to hunt down every branch of HYDRA? Not on his own, of course. But no one would tell him otherwise until he was in a better place.

The thing she loved about Gabe was that he understood that as well as she did. That and the silent sense of support and love he brought into these moments they had together. He didn’t have to tell them anything for both her and Steve to know he’d be there, no matter what. No matter the cost. What Steve didn’t understand, and perhaps she didn’t have a solid sense of it either, was that the cost might be more than any of them were expecting.

But those were thoughts for a different time. One that didn’t revolve around war and evil and death. They’d cross those bridges when they got to them. And for the first time she started adding an ‘if’ to that idea. They’d all seen losses before this but somehow after the Commandos were formed, there had been a bubble around them. Sgt. Barnes’ death seemed to pop that. The safety, illusion or not, was gone. And if Steve was going to lead a charge against HYDRA, any safety they had been granted would vanish like a breath anyway.

All of that could wait though. As she and Gabe helped him out of his uniform, pressing comforting kisses on his shoulders, chest, cheeks, lips, none of the future events seemed to close in. The quiet of the small room with a larger than usual bed would keep them safe for a little while longer and as they lay down together, she clung to that feeling. Even as Steve tossed and turned, as Gabe pressed a comforting hand to Steve’s shoulder to get him to settle down, as Peggy whispered to him, to try to get him to calm just enough to sleep, she hoped it helped and she swore to herself she would never again take the peace of finding a good night’s sleep for granted ever again.

Zola talked. Of course he did. And the plan had to come together as quickly as possible. And of course, it did. There were no other options to be had. If they didn’t hit the base, the world would end. She didn’t know anyone connected to the SSR that would let that happen if they had the power to stop it. She watched good men die with not enough of them left to bury as they stormed the gates that Captain Rogers had personally kicked open. She didn’t think about him or Gabe during the fight but once when she saw a HYDRA agent firing on him. In that moment she understood the distraction people who thought she shouldn’t be there were afraid of.

But of course those people weren’t in the middle of a firefight and would never believe Captain America could need reminding in his mission.

She would have laughed just a little at that. Just a soft, friendly sound that recognized the irony of it all. She would have until they reached the comms room and she found herself shoving Corporal Morita out of his seat. She found herself echoing his words back to him. “We can work it out!” but there was no belief or optimism coming back at her from him.

And then there was static. She couldn’t even bring herself to think that he was gone. Not in that moment. It was just a bad connection. It was just interference. It was just static. She didn’t know how long she sat there but Gabe finally pulled her away. The lost look on his face must have been mirroring her own. Who had told him? She didn’t have it in her to ask. Morita, maybe? Or Jacques? It didn’t really matter.

Because in that moment, all there was between them—where Steve should have been--was static.

~*~*~*~

The move to New York went surprisingly smoothly. Apparently having been a war hero and connected to Captain America, not to mention several high ranking military personnel and Howard Stark, limited one’s paperwork significantly. As did the job offer with the newly renamed SHIELD. She’d raised an eyebrow at Howard’s choice in acronym—for really, who else could it have been?—but took the position in the New York office.

She’d planned on heading there anyway, after all.

She and Gabe were still trying to find their feet. Still figuring out if they worked as just them without Steve. He’d put up a fight at the idea of moving in together. Told her, clear as crystal, that New York wasn’t London during the War. People would talk. And worse. But he put up more of a fight when she brought up that they should just get married then—“I did my homework, I wouldn’t be moving here if it were illegal to marry you. I’d have asked you to stay with me in London!”—so moving in together was the compromise.

Work was generally mind-numbing for them both for similar reasons. He was still mulling over Howard’s offer and—much to Peggy’s disgust—was having more than a little trouble finding any other prospects. He told her he wasn’t surprised. Being a hero during the war didn’t matter to the people he was applying to. He was just another black man to them. If she became more indignant for his sake, he smiled wryly and kissed the top of her head. “I told you this was never going to be easy.”

She wanted to argue that it could have been. That Steve would have marched into those offices and given those men a piece of his mind and a face full of that Captain America judgmental attitude that made people during the war shrink and feel awful about themselves. But Steve wasn’t there to do it and if she did, she’d be labeled a screeching harpy and it wouldn’t do any good anyway.

While she did have work to do, most days it was credited to the—if she was perfectly honest, which she would be the next time she spoke to Howard—barely passable agents around her. All men, she noted. All looking at her with a mix of lust, pity and disgust. Clearly she’d gotten lost on the way to the kitchen after all. The war was over. Why would a woman need to work?

Aside of course from being Captain America’s grieving girlfriend.

On the darker days, she wondered out loud why they bothered saving a world that would treat its heroes so horribly. “If I have to listen to one more ‘sweetheart’ or ‘darling’ from those idiots, I may just mow down the lot of them!”

“No you won’t.” Gabe shrugged, setting a pot of tea down on the tiny kitchen table. “Because they won’t learn if they’re dead.”

“That’s benevolent.”

“Just filling the void. I think…” He sighed and took her hand in his. “I think Steve would agree with me.”

“Steve wouldn’t be in this position.”

“No, not this one in particular. But he knew what it was like to get dumped on. You know that.”

She nodded and reached for the tea pot, pouring a cup for each of them. “We would have made quite the trio back then.”

He chuckled softly. “The negro, the invalid; both fruits of course, and the broad that’s too dumb to see it, probably.”

“I think you’re being kind.” She frowned into her cup.

“Maybe, but you get the idea.” He sat back, not letting go of her hand. He slowly laced their fingers together. “I wish I could tell you it’ll get easier.”

“It won’t. I know.” She leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’ve always known that. Steve was the one that thought we could change the world.”

“He probably could have.” He kissed her back, slowly deepening it. “We’ll just have to do our best, I guess.”

“That, Mr. Jones, sounds like a very good plan.”

“I think it is, Ms. Carter. Now finish your tea so we can go to bed and rest up for another day of fighting the good fight.”

It amazed her how often Steve’s name came up; how it had started to not hurt; how the void, while it was still there, didn’t feel as wide between them as time went on. She found herself wondering how things would have changed for him, had he made it through the war. If he would have stayed with the military. If he would have joined SHIELD. He would have rolled his eyes a little at the new name, no doubt about that at all, but she couldn’t help but wonder what it could have been like. And wondering didn’t leave her aching as it had for the first little while. They weren’t forgetting him, they had both taken in some of the things they had loved about him and he was never really far from their minds.

But moving on and living those lives seemed just as important.

She came in the door, that fateful day with Steve’s picture in hand, Gabe looked surprised. “Peg…”

“I need to go to DC.”

“Okay.”

“Howard called.”

“Did he?”

“He wants me to run SHIELD.”

“All by yourself?”

She smiled and set the picture down on the table between them as she leaned in and kissed him deeply. “Of course not. You’re coming with me.”

~*~*~*~

It wasn’t the first time she’d stormed out on a conversation with Howard, though it usually happened at work, rather than his home office. He was being unreasonable, blinded by the technology and advancements without thought to the consequences of bringing the enemy into the fold. It was reckless at best and disastrous at worst. And the thing is… he seemed to know that but he still wouldn’t budge.

This time, however, he followed. It was his home, after all. “Come on, Carter. This was supposed to be time off.”

“Since when do you indulge in that?”

“Touché.” He smirked just a little before cluing in that she wasn’t buying it. “Look, let’s just have a nice weekend. You, Gabe, Maria, me…”

She sighed and shook her head. She, Gabe, Maria and Howard had become an indulgence on occasionally. She wasn’t surprised by it really. At least not from Howard. Maria had been the shocker on that front. But she wasn’t in the mood after hearing the latest on Howard’s recruitment plans. “Zola…”

“Is a brilliant mind that we should take advantage of.”

“Is a HYDRA mind.”

“He defected.”

“Of course he did.” She rolled her shoulders and frowned just a little harder. “Right now, I think I’d rather enjoy some time with Gabe and Maria.”

“Can I watch?”

“We’ll see.”

She was too deep into her work mindset to really think about having a good time at that moment. Gabe must have picked up on it as she slid into the lounge chair near the pool next to him. “Everything alright?”

“As it ever will be.” She muttered more to herself than to him. “Just… work.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I know. Thing is, Peg, we can’t save the world all on our own.”

“Steve did.”

“We’re not Steve.”

And that was the kicker to it all. She knew what Steve would say to all this Project Paperclip business. That people don’t change that dramatically overnight. Especially when it’s the only option other than death or prison. She got up and moved across the tiny bit of space between them, settling herself next to him in his seat. “We may have to start doing a little recruiting of our own. Just in case.”

“Always a contingency plan?”

“Always.”

“That’s why I love you, Mrs. Jones.”

She smiled. The blush of actually being Mrs. Gabriel Jones was still fresh enough that she couldn’t quite help herself. “Not the only reason, I hope.”

“Not even close.” He nuzzled her neck and she felt him smile. “You got anyone in mind?”

“Not yet. But it’s an ongoing process, isn’t it? We’ll know when the right sort shows up.”

~*~*~*~

“Fuck.” Nick stared down at the memo in front of him for a little while longer. “Fuck.”

“Everything okay, Boss?”

Nick lifted his head and a little of his frown lifted. Phil was leaning on the doorframe with an amused smile on his face. It was the look he always got when Nick had to deal with the fallout from their missions. Or the fallout from his and Melinda’s latest prank. Or whatever other trouble the three of them had gotten into. Or Garrett. Or the new girl that Director Carter had sent him out to recruit a couple weeks ago. Virginia? Vera? Victoria? Something like that. Either way, she was the academy’s problem now.

But no matter what kind of shit he had to deal with, Phil was there smirking at him and possibly apologizing. Not _really_ apologizing but the usual ‘sorry we didn’t invite you along’ was good enough.

“Yeah. I’ve just got to report to Director Carter directly on… something.” Nick sat back, running a hand over this head. “What’d you do this time? I should know why I’m getting my ass dragged in there.”

“Wasn’t me.” Phil shrugged. “Wasn’t Mel either.”

“Yeah, I know. Her mom says hi, by the way.” Nick’s hand slid down his face as he recalled the short but pointed conversation he’d had with Ms. May when he accidentally came home early. Melinda hadn’t said anything but she’d clearly enjoyed her mother’s version of the shovel talk. Mel didn’t panic until her mother called him ‘Phillip’. Needless to say, the conversation could have finished sooner but he left the full explanation to Melinda. “That takes two things off the infinite list of shit I’ll get blamed for.”

“Maybe it’s a promotion.” Phil’s smirk got wider as he pushed off the doorframe and sat down across from Nick. “Maybe she’s finally retiring and you’re going to run SHIELD.”

“Are you high? Did you inhale too deep near the chem labs?”

“Maybe. Have you seen the new bio chem recruit? Apparently she’s working on some kind of super soldier thing.” Nick chuckled as Phil got a little more excited. “And she’s kinda cute.”

“Mhmm.” Nick shook his head and his own smirk made an appearance. “Combine cute, blond and super soldier and you’re sold, right?”

“You know me so well.”

“No, you’re just so damn predictable.” Nick started gathering the things he figured he might need in this last minute, probably hell on wheels meeting. Mission briefs and debriefs from the last few months. Reports on ongoing missions. Garrett’s last disciplinary hearing transcripts. If he spent any more time in sensitivity training, he could probably teach the damn course. “But I will give you credit for expanding your horizons.”

“That’s entirely your and Melinda’s fault.”

“Yeah, you love it.”

“Yes, I do.” Phil sighed and sat back, watching Nick prep for the meeting. “Where’s my ‘we don’t talk about personal shit at work, Phil’ lecture?”

“I figure I’m already in for a pound and a half of shit. Why not add fraternization into the mix too?”

“Very rebellious of you.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do, Coulson?”

“Yes, sir. I do.” He got up and smiled a little more genuinely. “Dinner tonight?”

“You cooking?”

“Do you want to take your life in your hands?”

“Okay. There’s that new place on the way home.”

“The Italian place? Yeah, we can do that.”

“If this meeting goes long, I’ll meet you there.”

Phil laughed softly and shook his head. “Such a romantic.”

Nick couldn’t help but smile back. Phil had that effect on people when they weren’t in the middle of a firefight or facing off with someone who may or may not have superpowers. Actually, even in those situations, the man had a unique ability to put people at ease. It had been what drew Nick to him in the first place as a recruit for SHIELD and then later as a partner and lover.

He still wasn’t quite sure how they’d all come to the agreement they’d come to but he was happy it had worked out even if it was technically against regulations. Or maybe because it was. He couldn’t quite put his finger on which it was. It had started simply enough. Him and Phil, post mission-gone-to-hell, had just kind of fallen on each other like they were starving. He’d told himself that it was an affirmation that they’d made it out. That they’d survived. But the thing was, he hadn’t wanted to let go when it was all said and done. And it became a thing they did. No real commitment or anything. Nothing they labeled. It just was.

Melinda figured it out though and—her and her ridiculous ability to read people—she noticed before either of them did that maybe the thing needed a label and maybe, just maybe, they should stop acting like horny teenagers and talk about it. Never the types to back away from a challenge, they did. They figured a few things out and the next time Melinda gave them that look, Nick found himself kissing her with Phil smiling on. Again, they never really labeled it. Phil tried once to use words like ‘primary relationship’ and all that kind of crap and Nick was willing to admit that was a good name for it. But he wasn’t about to throw that kind of crap around on a day to day basis.

Granted the short lived, post mission marriage between him and Mel had caused some trouble but they’d all gotten around it. Annulments weren’t that rare in this business anyway.

There still weren’t any major commitments spoken among them. If somebody wanted to go off and date somebody outside the three of them, so be it. The thing was, no matter how many times that happened, they always came back together, the three of them. Not that there was any major separation involved. Most of their other romantic or sexual partners knew where they stood and the three of them were the main focus.

Honestly sometimes he wondered if putting labels on things would make it all easier. He was pretty sure it would, if he could find the labels for what they were. So far, none of the ones he’d stumbled on had fit.

He stuffed a few more reports into a folder and shook his head. “Shut up and get back to work.”

“Will do, Boss.” Phil got up, adjusted his tie and smiled. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Nick took a moment to watch Phil leave. It was blatant but it wasn’t like Phil was looking at that point. He let out a slow breath and reclaimed his focus. There was no slacking off with Director Carter. She’d want to see him on his game, not ogling his subordinate’s ass. That brought up another issue he hated having to deal with. If someone had caught onto what was going on between him and Phil and Melinda, their team would be split up, even if that was the dumbest possible idea in the world as they were the most effective strike team SHIELD had.

He wondered if there were any loopholes on that particular rule and almost called Phil back to see if he couldn’t dig something up. One more long sigh convinced him that he didn’t have time and they could look it all up later as a team if it came down to it. Which he really hoped it wouldn’t. If worse came to worse, he could probably pass it all off as a casual sex thing. SHIELD turned a blind eye to that all the time. Nobody had to pay any attention to the apartment here in Washington that had all their names on the lease. Not unless they really wanted to.

And he was hoping, given the team’s record, nobody would want to.

He paused outside Director Carter’s office, pulling his game together and focusing on work. On the mission briefs. On anything other than the possibility of being reassigned because he’d fucking fallen in love with half of his team. He wondered just for a moment if Director Carter would have any sympathy at all for him in that case, given her public history. He kind of doubted it.

He finally shifted the files in his hand and knocked on the door to her office, entering when she told him to. “Ah, Agent Fury. Yes. Take a seat.” She motioned to the chair on the near side of her desk as she moved around to sit in her own seat. He glanced at what she’d been doing before he came in. The file boxes on the floor were a dead giveaway.

“Moving to a better office, Director?”

“Something like that.” She smiled and motioned for him to sit down again. The smile settled his nerves a little. If she were going to tear him a new one, she wouldn’t be smiling. The first thing he ever learned about her was that there was very little bullshit with her. If she didn’t like what you were doing, you were going to hear about it. At length. It was part of the reason he’d signed up when she and Agent Jones approached him. “You have friends in high places, Nicholas.”

He felt his cheeks warm a little. Literally her and his mother were the only people that ever called him that and he had a sinking feeling that the only reason Director Carter continued doing so was because he gave her a reaction. “Ma’am?”

“We have a new council member to contend with and he’s already making noises about a new director.” Her eyebrow crept up as she spoke. “Eventually anyway. Clearly we can’t just throw someone into this position without some training.”

“What about you?”

She smiled again. “Believe it or not, Nicholas, but they’d like me to retire. Apparently somewhere along the way, I got old and didn’t quite notice.”

He mirrored her smile. “Never.”

“That’s sweet. But it’s true.” She sighed and sat back in her chair. “They’ve had excuses for me to leave for years. But this time, I think they might be right. At least, once I’ve finished grooming a replacement.”

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy the time with your family.” He nodded.

“I will. But I’ll be bored in a week and we all know it.” She shook her head. “So I intend to drag it out as long as possible. I’m sure my replacement will appreciate my insights.”

“I’m sure they will.”

Her eyebrow rose again. “You’re not quite picking this up, are you Nicholas.”

“Trying not to assume anything, Ma’am.”

“I’m promoting you. You will be deputy director as of Monday morning. And once I’ve passed on the last of my great wisdom to you, you’ll be Director. Councilman Pierce will no doubt be very pleased by all this.” Alex. Of course it was Alex. Nick had almost forgotten about his appointment which was ridiculous given that it had made headlines even in East Germany. Not that they’d officially been there, of course. But the words Director Carter was speaking hung there for a long time, seemingly unreal. For half a second he wondered if Phil had known something earlier when he made that joke about a promotion. “That is, of course, if you want the job.”

He came back to himself at that, a short laugh leaving him before he could stop it. “Yeah. Yes. Yes, Ma’am, I do.”

“Good. I’d have had to find someone else to break in if you didn’t.” She smirked. “You do have a place here in Washington.”

It wasn’t a question. That set off a small alarm bell in his head that he chose to ignore. “Yes, Ma’am.”

“Why don’t you take a long weekend, Nicholas? Celebrate a little. I think you’ve earned it.”

“Thank you.”

“I think Agents May and Coulson have too, wouldn’t you say?” He froze. He’d let his guard down just a little and she’d sideswiped him. When he looked up again she shook her head and smiled. “Really, Nicholas. You’re good, but I’m not blind.”

“Director—“

“Save it. I have no interest in lecturing you. Your team would be split up anyway with your new position. You will be able to run back end for them but I have no intention on losing my replacement because you got yourself killed in the field, am I understood?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“As for your relationship with your teammates.” Her expression got a little softer. “There are exceptions to every rule. Frankly, I’ve seen nothing to indicate that any of you are unable to separate your personal lives from your work. And as deputy director,” she smiled and he felt he could breathe again, “I leave the matter to your good judgment.”

“Thank you.”

Her smile warmed and she shook her head. “You are far from the first ones to make something unconventional work to your advantage around here. The rumor mill will likely have a field day with you though. Consider yourself warned.”

“If they’re not on to us already, they’re in the wrong business.”

She laughed. “Fair enough. Some people would tell you that having people close to you in this position is a weakness. A liability.” She looked him in the eye. “Don’t believe them. Believe me when I tell you they will give you more strength than you can imagine. They can be the reason you do what you do at times when all the other reasons vanish.”

“Like you and Agent Jones?”

She smiled. “Yes.”

“There were always rumors.”

“I’m sure there were. Some of them might even be close to true.”

“About the two of you and Captain America?”

She smiled sadly for a moment before a small laugh escaped her. That smile though, that was all the proof he needed to know that part of the tale at least was true. “Really? That one’s boring compared to the ones about Stark and his wife.”

“I was building to those.”

“All absolutely inaccurate, of course.”

“Of course.”

“Not a lick of truth to any of it.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“I think we understand each other, Agent Fury.”

He let out a soft chuckle. “Yes, Ma’am, I think we do.”

“You are dismissed, Agent.” She smiled at him one more time as he got up and showed himself out.

He did his best to let the promotion sink in as he drove to the small Italian restaurant to meet Phil. Nick was willing to admit that maybe he shouldn’t have gotten behind the wheel as he was a little more distracted than was likely safe but he made it in one piece. At least he only got one look from one over-eager cop on the way. And they didn’t even pull him over so clearly luck was on his side.

Part of him wondered darkly if he’d still have to put up with that shit when he was busy protecting the free world.

That thought stuck with him until he got through the door of the restaurant and saw Phil sitting at a table near the back. Nick’s smile widened when he noticed that Phil was not alone. He was grinning by the time he slid into the empty seat. “Didn’t think you’d be back this soon.”

Melinda smiled and shook her head. “I can only discuss my love life for so long with my mother.”

Nick reached out, taking her hand in his and pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles. “Sorry about that.”

“You could have stuck around and backed her up.” Phil smirked at him for a second.

“Pretty sure that would have made things worse.”

Melinda let out a small, soft laugh. “More than likely.”

“She likes me better, anyway.”

“Lucky you.” He chuckled and picked up the menu, only really half listening to Melinda and Phil discussing the pretty blond in the chem lab who had apparently caught both of their attention. It wasn’t until he placed an order for a bottle of champagne that they both stopped talking. “What?”

“What are we celebrating?” Melinda got the question out first even as Phil sat there studying him like a moth under glass.

“Holy shit. She really did promote you?” Phil nearly grinned, sitting back in his seat

“Something like that.” Nick took a sip of the water in front of him, hiding his smile. “Director Carter is retiring.”

They both stared at him expectantly for a long while. Phil’s patience wore out before Melinda’s. “And?”

“And as of Monday, I’m going to be Deputy Director.” He put the glass down and smiled. “And we’ve got a long weekend ahead of us.”

“We?” Melinda’s eyebrow shot up.

“Yeah, we. As in we are apparently not as good as we thought we were.” Nick sat back and waited as the waiter poured their champagne and took their food orders. “Apparently when you’re running the show, there are loopholes to fraternization codes.”

Both sets of eyebrows shot up that time. Phil spoke slowly when he opened his mouth again. “Did you bring that up or…?”

“She knew.” Melinda shook her head like it was an eventuality. Of course Director Carter knew.

Nick nodded. “She did. But apparently the rumors about the old guard aren’t completely untrue.”

“How not completely untrue?”

Melinda laughed again, playfully smacking Phil’s arm. “You are a horrible gossip.”

“Everybody at SHIELD is a horrible gossip. Except maybe you.” He smiled and leaned in, kissing her cheek. “I think its part of the job description.”

“Everybody is pretty into learning everybody else’s secrets.” Nick smiled and lifted the glass of champagne. “To feeding the rumor mill for the next twenty years.”

“Or more.” Phil clicked his glass against Nick’s and took a sip.

Melinda shook her head again and raised her glass to them both. “How about to being as legendary as the old guard.”

“Sounds like a solid plan to me.” Nick chuckled and took another sip of his champagne. “All we’ll have to do is—“

“Save the world?” Phil’s smile showed more than most people would see in that moment. He’d never admit it but the thought of being on the same level as his hero, or at least the people who had fought with him, was probably a little more than exciting.

Melinda smiled, obviously seeing the same thing in Phil’s eyes that Nick was. “Oh, is that all?”

There were a few times over the years when Nick looked back on that moment and wondered if they’d all have been better off getting normal jobs. Accountants, analysts, security consulting maybe… anything but what they did day in and day out. Anything but the job that over and over again stripped layers away from them. And they managed, most of the time, to rebuild whatever was lost. Peggy had been right about that. Nick found more and more often that they his reasons for doing what had to be done. His reasons for that had started off as most people’s did at SHIELD. At least he figured most of them thought of distant family, random kids they drove by on the way to work, all the innocent people out there that weren’t equipped to deal with what they dealt with.

Slowly, almost without him noticing, it became about making sure he didn’t send them in blind. That they and the other people they’d brought into their strange little family were as prepared as possible. That they were as well equipped as possible.

That he wouldn’t lose them.

Even then, it didn’t always work out. Though he had a sick sense of satisfaction that the first major fuck up of his career as Director only really cost him. At least that was how he looked at it. Diplomatic missions weren’t supposed to go south. He hadn’t needed his people with him. He trusted the security of the compound. He trusted the man running the show. They’d been in the Army together. Had a few laughs over the years until he’d decided to go private sector and Nick went government.

He’d been really, really wrong. The fight shouldn’t have even happened and likely wouldn’t have if former US Army Sgt. Greg Bardas hadn’t been handsomely paid to look the other way. He managed to shield the other visiting parties, shuffling them out of the line of fire with friendly soldiers and security people with more scruples than their boss. He was beating back some of Bardas’ guys, trying to buy the ambassador from India some time to escape when one of them got past his blocks. One of them with a knife got past him and the world went blood red. He kept fighting, kept pushing the attacker back but the guy just kept coming. Kept getting through. There was red and pain and then… nothing but the faint sound of helicopters in the distance. Could be his. Could be theirs. He didn’t know and he didn’t have enough time to really think on it before things went dark. 

As he slowly came to in a SHIELD medical facility, only able to see out of his one eye and not even awake enough to question why, he still noticed both Melinda and Phil at his bedside. He swore to himself to never be so fucking stupid about his own safety again. He swore to them too when they figured out he was awake. Phil said he believed him. He didn’t really. Melinda told him not to make empty promises and left it at that.

So he told them instead that he’d be more careful in the future. They could all agree that would be a wise choice.

He avoided field work. Well, avoided… not so much. Phil and Melinda and eventually Sitwell and Hill and Bobbi and Clint and Natasha pushed and harangued him into staying in his god damn office while they did the heavy lifting. They all said things like ‘we can handle it’ and ‘it’s under control’ and it was never that he didn’t think they could or that they didn’t have things well in hand. It was that he wanted to be there with them. He wanted to watch their backs the way he used to. He really didn’t trust enough other people to do it. Some of them got that better than others.

He watched the same low level of fear and distrust show in Phil and Melinda’s eyes. It happened with Bobbi first; because when they both approached the ‘cute blond in the chem lab’ she’d been more than game to date them both even while juggling working in SHIELD’s R&D department on a new version of the Super Soldier serum and training at the Ops academy. She didn’t have to do that to get her field clearance, but she’d pushed until they let her in.

Then Jasper who was seemingly greener than all of them had ever been at first. At least until they realized how good the act was. Jasper, who was one of the best undercover operatives Nick had ever worked with and who made a hell of a breakfast in the morning after a mission when he needed a little more decompression than sex could afford him.

Then Victoria who burned through clearance levels like a woman on a crusade and had a million ideas on what exactly Director Fury was doing wrong with the organization. Melinda loved that about her. Nick, not so much. Phil would smirk about it behind his coffee cup most mornings as Melinda came through the door with donuts and a smile on her face.

Then Hill who was absolutely not going to take any of anybody’s shit, thank you very much. Nick loved that about her and was more than pleased to see her and Hand get together from time to time. Melinda confirmed it with their blessing. They did complain about his stupid ideas in bed together.

Their circle kept growing and that feeling of responsibility grew with it. He got the distinct impression that somewhere along the way, they’d formed a family. That impression too grew as he picked up Barton out of a military prison and told him he had other options.

Clint became one of the people he’d trust with damn near anything. Clear line of sight is what they both referred to it as and they trusted the other’s judgment on damn near everything. He also trusted Clint to know when to call it. He’d proved that when he’d figured out just how things in the upper levels of SHIELD worked and how close everyone was. Nick knew Phil had asked Clint out and he knew that he himself was interested in Clint too.

“I need to think about this…” he’d said very slowly, sitting in a dive bar in Georgetown with the both of them. “I don’t really… I’ve never…”

Phil smiled. “Take your time.”

Clint nodded and took another long drink from his beer. His eyes met Nick’s and Nick knew it probably wasn’t going to happen. Clint wanted something more traditionally stable. Clint wanted someone that was just his. Nick couldn’t blame the guy at all on that front but he was glad that the whole thing didn’t fuck up any of their working relationships or friendships.

It was somewhat gratifying to see Clint get what he wanted as Bobbi pulled back from Phil and Melinda, smiling and shaking her head. “He’s worth it in the long run.” And that was all anybody needed to say about it.

And then Clint brought in Natasha. Natasha who didn’t trust anyone. Who could kill them all if they let her in close. Who should probably have been in a prison cell but he saw something there. He saw that she wouldn’t be there if she didn’t seriously want to change. And slowly she became Natasha who ate up pop culture like she was starving. Natasha who had a soft spot for the really good strawberry ice cream after a hard mission. Natasha who said she’d had enough of sex and romance and all the artifice that went with it but still needed someone to hold her on the tough nights when the nightmares came back. Natasha who made him understand for the first time what he’d given up by living the life he’d lived and not having a family.

Natasha who swore to him every time Strike Team Delta went out that she’d make sure Phil came back to him. She knew without him having to explain any of it to her and she never so much as raised an eyebrow about any of it. “I’ve seen people pretend to love. This is better.” It was all she ever had to say about it.

Natasha was easily one of his dearest friends. Not only because she understood the cost of keeping everyone as safe as he could even if it meant getting his own hands dirty, but got that any bit of love and closeness was precious. No matter the form.

Even if it ever needed to be sacrificed for the greater good. It hadn’t happened yet but he had a few suspicions on what could get him to that point. After all, their safety—his friends, his family, his lovers—was paramount to everything else. As he watched the old guard pass on one way or another; that solidified in his mind.

In the meantime, he had no illusions about keeping those kinds of secrets from anyone. If he loved them, he was damn well going to say so whenever he got the chance. Melinda was the one most likely to roll her eyes and smirk at him. “Keep that up and I’ll start thinking you’re going soft in your old age.”

“Maybe I am.”

The dim light from the streetlight outside their window had a tendency to paint golden lines in the dark rooms. Melinda traced her fingers over his chest, following the line of light. “I don’t think so. I think you’d like the punk kids coming out of the academy to think that for some reason.”

“Maybe I just want them to step up their game so I can take a couple days off.”

She smiled and kissed his lips. “We should do that. When Phil and I get back from Manama.” Phil had left the day before, doing the first assessment of the potentially gifted person that had come up on the radar. Melinda was flying out in the morning with the rest of the team.

“I don’t know—“

“I do. And Phil will back me up.” She smiled again and rested her head on his shoulder. “You know he will.”

“I know.” Nick couldn’t help but chuckle as he pulled her closer. “Okay. After you two get back from Bahrain.”

He found himself arguing at full volume with Hill a week later on whether or not it was appropriate or feasible to get him to Bahrain. He told her in no uncertain terms that he didn’t give a flying fuck about appropriate at that point. She relented far too easily. Maybe because she cared about Melinda too. Maybe because there really was no stopping him when it came down to it. He’d never be completely sure on the reasoning. He was sure, however that if she could go toe to toe with him at his most unreasonable, the woman deserved a promotion.

But he told himself that he’d deal with that after.

He didn’t take over the op. The agents on the ground were doing a good job with clean up and cataloguing witness statements and all the other grunt work that went into this kind of thing. He just went to the hotel, sat down at the small table in the corner of the room and waited for them to get back.

Phil opened the door to the room and saw him first. A tired and sad smile crossed his face as he turned back toward Melinda in the hallway. “I told you he’d be here.”

Nick stood, moving toward the door as they came in. “Hill tip you off?”

“No.” Phil leaned in, giving Melinda room to get into the room and get some space between herself and them. “I just know you wouldn’t—“ He glanced around Nick’s shoulder to where Melinda was taking off the layers she’d worn all day. “I knew you’d be here if you could be.”

Nick nodded and pressed a quick kiss to Phil’s temple before turning back to Melinda. She was down to a tank top—stitches showing in her skin here and there, soot still clinging to her—and the tactical pants she’d been wearing on the mission. He took a step closer to her, making sure that his foot falls sounded even on the carpet. “Mel…”

“Don’t say it, okay?”

“Okay.”

She turned around, taking a deep breath. “I need a shower.” She pushed her way past both of them and went into the washroom. She paused in the doorway. It took a little while for her to look him in the eye but she did it eventually. He saw a flicker of some of the pain she must have been feeling but she was already trying to bury it. Freeze it out. He thought she might just be able to do it too but he hoped that somehow he and Phil and Maria and Victoria and Jasper and everyone else that cared about Melinda would be able to hold her up when the ice finally cracked. Because it would. Eventually. But she took another deep breath and tried to force a small smile. “I’m glad you’re here…”

“Wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

Phil waited until the water was running to start stripping off his suit. “I’m glad you’re here too.”

“Like I said, I wouldn’t be anywhere else if I could help it.” Nick sat down on the end of the bed. “How is she doing?”

“She’s…” Phil’s eyes flickered toward the bathroom door. “I don’t know, Nick. She won’t tell me anything.”

“Did any of the agents she pulled out say anything?”

“Nothing solid. It’s all in the report but it’s not much.”

Nick sighed and nodded, following Phil’s line of sight to the bathroom door again. “She’s tough, Phil. She’ll get through this.” He held his hand out and waited for Phil to take it. It didn’t take long and a moment later, Nick had his arms around Phil. “We just need to be here for her. Make sure she has everything she needs.”

“I know.”

“I know you do.” Nick kissed his cheek. “Doesn’t hurt to hear it again though.”

It didn’t take long for both Melinda and Phil to get cleaned up. Nick ordered food in, knowing they wouldn’t want to be out among the general public after the last few days. It became a routine, as they sifted through what had happened for over a week. They’d work too hard, come back to the hotel, clean up and eat whatever they could get delivered before going to bed and getting whatever sleep would come.

It wasn’t much though. Nick knew that too. When he woke up on their last night there and saw Melinda curled up in one of the chairs near the window, he wasn’t entirely surprised. She didn’t move or acknowledge him at all as he sat down across from her. It took several minutes before she spoke. “I can’t sleep.”

“I think that’s normal.”

She let out a soft little snort of derision. “I want to go home.”

It was such a simple statement. “Okay. Tomorrow morning.”

“I…” she hesitated, hugging her knees to her chest. “I need to be reassigned.”

“Whatever you need, you’ll get.”

“I don’t want to leave home again.”

“Okay.”

She finally looked up at him. “That simple?”

“Yes. On one condition.”

“What?”

“You talk to psych. Regularly.”

“You going to make sure?”

He let a small smile cross his face. “You want me to hold your hand?”

“Maybe.”

“Then yeah, I’ll make sure.”

She nodded, not trying to force a smile that time. She just turned to look out the window again. “Phil won’t want to give up field work.”

“No. But would you want him to?”

“No.”

“Then it’s not a problem. He’ll be home when he’s home. I’ll be there the rest of the time.”

That got a small smile. “You’ll be tired of me within a month.”

“I was going to say it’d be the other way around.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” She glanced over at the bed. Phil had curled up around her pillow in his sleep. “It would be nice to have us all there…”

“One day.” He reached out, moving slowly so she could pull back if she needed to. His hand closed over hers and she didn’t pull away. He thought she relaxed a little but it was probably wishful thinking. “And I owe you both a vacation, remember?”

She seemed to try to dig the memory of that conversation out from under the last few weeks. She nodded slowly, as if she’d found what she was looking for but it was a little more beat up than she’d been expecting. “One day.”

“Soon.”

“Yeah.” She squeezed his hand lightly before letting go and turning back to the window. “Okay.”

They were on the first flight back to DC in the morning. Nick managed to keep Phil at home with them for longer than he thought he’d be able to and the two of them slowly helped Melinda find her new place at home and at SHIELD. He had plans to find some kind of post-trauma loophole to keep all three of them at home for as long as possible but Melinda wouldn’t hear of it. “The world isn’t going to stop for us.”

He hated that she was right about that.

But they found a routine eventually. Phil was never gone for longer than a few weeks and Nick found that having someone to come home to after arguing with Alex and the rest of the WSC was a comfort he hadn’t thought he’d needed. It wasn’t that different than it had been whenever they were all in the same place at the same time, but knowing he could go down to Admin and share a ride home with Melinda or that she’d be there, going through take out menus when he got in the door was nice.

She agreed, out loud even. A small, tentative smile crossing her face. Those smiles had been coming back more and more often lately. “It’s stable. Stable is good.”

“Agent Carella tell you that?” He smiled and put the reports he was going over down on the coffee table.

“Yes, actually.” She moved from the chair near the window to curl up next to him on the couch. “She’s very good at her job.”

“That’s why she’s there.”

She hummed softly as he went back to reports on Howard’s kid’s disappearance and the last team to come back for SHIELD’s northern expeditions. He still wasn’t convinced they were looking in the right place but he signed off on it again. Phil would never forgive him if he didn’t find Captain America eventually. “You know what would make this perfect?”

Before he could answer, the front door quietly opened. They shared a smile before the thud of Phil’s suitcase hitting the floor had sounded. That was answer enough for both of them. He slowly made his way into the apartment, suitcase still by the door, suit jacket and tie on a chair in the kitchen, shoes just outside the living room. Before anything else could come off, he got to the couch and curled up next to Melinda, wrapping his arms around her and stretching just enough to get one hand on Nick’s thigh in the process. “Missed you.” He murmured against Melinda’s neck just loud enough for Nick to hear it too.

Nick put his reports down and lifted Phil’s hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “We missed you too.”

“Hill had reports for you. They’re in the kitchen.”

Melinda smiled again. “Level 7 and you’re still playing messenger.”

“Yup.” Phil got the word out before he yawned and snuggled up tighter.

Melinda lifted her head and looked up at Nick. “I think we should get him cleaned up and tucked in.”

“I think you’re right.” Nick couldn’t help but chuckle at the vaguely affirmative little noise that came from Phil. “You two go ahead. I’ll check out whatever Hill sent over.”

Phil grumbled a little but followed Melinda into their room while Nick made his way into the kitchen. He smiled again at the sound of Phil laughing. Melinda’s laugh might have been in there too but it was usually too soft to hear if you weren’t right there. He was struck, not for the first or last time, at how much like home the apartment felt, even if they weren’t all there at once, but especially when they were.

He sat down at the table and flipped open the file. There wasn’t much there. The gist was pretty simple. They’d found Tony Stark. He’d be back in LA by the end of the week. Nick sighed and closed the folder. He’d tell them in the morning that he and Phil were heading out west. He smiled as he moved toward the washroom, listening to muffled voices under the shower. Maybe he could talk Melinda into coming along. If Stark wasn’t too big a pain in the ass, they could at least get a long weekend out of it.

Looking back on it, that hope was vain at the very least. Weeks and months went on and got stranger and stranger. ‘I am Iron Man’ was the start of something, which was exactly what Stark wanted, no doubt, but the things he wasn’t around to deal with fell to SHIELD. Gods and monsters and terrorists alike fell to SHIELD until Nick was trying to remember the last time any of them had a night off.

And just when he managed to swing one; just when he managed to sleep in his own bed with Phil and Melinda on either side of him, the god damned phone started ringing at three o’clock in the fucking morning. He grumbled, reaching over Melinda’s head to grab his phone. “Fury.”

“Tell them to fuck off.” Phil muttered into his pillow. Nobody could really blame him. He’d only gotten in a few hours earlier from the middle of fucking nowhere. He was still muttering about NASA and Selvig and never wanting to deal with another scientist for the rest of his life when they got him home from the airport. He’d be going back soon enough but it was nice to having him around for a couple days.

Nick was about two seconds from doing that very thing when the voice on the other end of the bad connection came through. “Sir, we found the shield. And possibly more. We don’t have a full report yet but—“

“Say that again.”

“We think we found Captain America, sir.”

“You think?”

“We’re pretty sure.”

Nick nodded to himself. “Whatever you need to get everything back to New York, you’ve got it.”

“Yes, sir.”

With that, he hung up and lay back down. Phil broke the silence. “Am I allowed to ask?”

Nick smiled, knowing it was a little too dark in the room to catch it. “I’m going to New York in the next couple days.”

“Business or Stark?” Melinda’s voice was still a little rough around the edges but she was clearly still awake from the phone call.

Nick considered playing cat and mouse for a little while longer but the longer this went on, the less likely he’d hear the adorable little squeak this was going to get out of Phil. “They found Captain America.”

The sharp intake of breath was the first sign that Phil hadn’t just up and died on him. “Can I come along?”

Melinda sat up, leaning over Nick and pressing what was no doubt a very fond kiss to Phil’s lips. “Are you going to behave yourself?”

Nick smiled at the small affirmative noise that got—not entirely sure if it was the kiss or the idea of being able to touch Captain America’s shield—from Phil. He shook his head and turned to press a kiss to his forehead. “Yeah, Phil. You can come along.”

Nick knew that Phil wasn’t going to push any limits on this, after all. The man was an expert at compartmentalizing work and play. He wasn’t expecting any problems.

He also wasn’t expecting to walk into a medical team reviving a man that had been in the ice for 70 years either. That shook both of their professional exteriors enough to make the resulting flying by the seat of their pants plan less than perfect.

Rogers took it better than most people would have.

Nick mentioned to Phil that he could meet his hero if he wanted to. He gave it some serious thought but declined. “The guy’s got enough on his plate right now. And I’d make an ass out of myself so, maybe another time.” He was back on a plane to New Mexico and NASA and the rest of his headaches the next morning.

Nick told Steve he’d handle finding him some apartments to look at, getting him any information he could about his friends; who was still alive, where they might be, that kind of thing. He only mentioned seeing Peggy once. Steve sighed heavily and shook his head. “Not yet. Maybe… maybe someday but not yet.”

The whole situation was surreal to him which meant it was only a hundred times worse for Rogers. Nick considered visiting Peggy himself, maybe getting some kind of insight on how to help the guy out. His first instinct was to get him back to work but he wasn’t sure that was the best idea with a guy that seemed not to have a whole lot to live for anymore. So he kept checking in. Taking him to lunch or coffee now and then. Making sure he got out a little instead of locking himself away in the apartment Melinda found for him and staring at files until he went cross-eyed.

But then staying out of the fight became less of an option. There were gods and alien armies and monsters and somebody had to do something.

As far as Nick was concerned, they did it too fucking late.

He went back to DC and spent a week screaming at teams of scientists to just get it done. To fix it. To bring Phil back to them. He called in every favor, every dirty contact, every rumor. He had an option on hand but he knew how Phil felt about TAHITI. It was a last resort. If nothing else worked, that was the play.

Melinda stared at him when he handed her the paperwork. He’d taken Phil’s name off everything to do with the project. “He’s…” Nick sighed and let his head fall into his hands. It had worked. Sort of. “Melinda, he’s back.”

“No. Oh my God, Nick what did you do?”

“What I had to. We need him.”

“We?”

“SHIELD.”

“Bullshit.”

“Mel… I can’t do this without both of you.” The words came out hollow. He wasn’t sorry. He probably should have been, but Phil was alive. He was going to be alright. And if the price for that was Nick’s place in his life and in Melinda’s, then so be it.

He expected her to step back, walk away, maybe leave the apartment. He wouldn’t have blamed her at all for that. He wasn’t sure how to react when she curled up in his lap, wrapping her arms around him. “He’ll be okay?”

Nick nodded, holding her close, taking in what comfort he could. “Yeah. You know how he is. If he’s got a project…”

“Yeah. Okay. What’d you have in mind?” They sat there in the dark, holding each other and working out what Phil would need to feel like himself again. He wasn’t sure if Melinda wanted to be there to watch over Phil to make sure he was okay or to get away from Nick. Either way, he really wouldn’t blame her.

It wasn’t until later that week that Rogers showed up in his office. “You took me to enough lunches. If you’ve got some time…”

Nick’s PA was the one that forced him out of the chair and out the door in the end. Rogers seemed to get a kick out of that. “I’m picking up a pattern here.” He finally commented as they got to street level.

Nick chuckled. Admittedly it was the first time he’d managed to do that believably since New York. “I learned from the best.” Rogers looked at him for a moment. “Director Carter and Gabe Jones recruited me.”

It was hard not to notice the man’s ears turning pink. “You certainly did then.” Nick let the topic go until they got to the small bistro and sat down. It didn’t take long for Rogers to pick up the thread though. “They… Peggy and Gabe, they had a good life together.”

“That they did. They did a lot of good in other people’s lives too.”

Rogers nodded and toyed with the glass of water in front of him. “Good. That’s… that’s good.”

“Captain.” Nick sighed and leaned in. “Look, if it makes it easier on you, I know. Peggy told me about the three of you.”

“She did?” He looked more shocked by that than anything else. “She must have trusted you.”

“She knew I’d get it.”

He waited for those words to sink in. It didn’t take long. “Agent Coulson.”

“Among others, yeah.”

“I’m sorry.” He sighed again and leaned back in his chair. “At the time I didn’t really think—“

“Nobody did. That was the point.”

“Right. Yeah, I’m pretty well acquainted with that kind of thing.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Is there… I mean, you’re not on your own with this now?”

For a second, Nick felt the urge to tell Steve the truth. The urge passed quickly. “No, I’m good. Melinda and I… well, we had to work a few things out after everything but we’re good.”

“Just the two of you now?”

“No. But that’s her story to tell. Not mine.”

Steve nodded again. “I can’t get used to it. Being on my own. I mean, we weren’t always together but…” his train of thought obviously drifted for a moment as he took a sip of water. “And before that was Bucky.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“I’d have to leave the house a little more often for that to happen.” The sarcasm on his words was damn near refreshing. Nick couldn’t help but smile again. He wouldn’t readily admit to knowing how they got from there to making out against the inside of Steve’s door but it was pretty obvious to him. Shared sense of loss, touch starvation on Steve’s part and an understanding that this could just be a release, a friendly thing they did when it needed doing.

It was also apparently the kick in the ass Steve needed to start living his life again. As far as motivational tactics went, Nick was pretty sure going a couple rounds with Captain America once in a while was one of his new favorites.

Besides, the man gave great head.

And it wasn’t as if he was actively avoiding any of the other relationships in his life. Melinda and Phil were all over the world and Jasper was too deep undercover to risk anything at that point. Nick was hoping he was being paranoid, that whatever Jasper was digging up would be a small problem, easily eliminated.

He was never that lucky though and the WSC’s push to get Project Insight in the air seemed to confirm his suspicions. He bought time, found evidence, fought dirty trying to figure out what was going on and who was behind it. Nothing he found spoke to a small group or a splinter within the ranks. But it couldn’t go that far up. It couldn’t possibly be as bad as it was starting to look. He kept telling himself that as he dug. He kept telling himself that as he set up more ways off the grid and more back up plans. He kept telling himself that he had people he could trust.

But if it went that far up, maybe he wasn’t as sure as he should have been.

As the world literally turned upside down on him and his SUV blew up under him, he wondered again. What had he missed? He knew that Melinda and Phil would never work for HYDRA. That wasn’t possible but after what Nick had had done to Phil. Under SHIELD’s watch. As he let himself into Steve’s apartment, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d signed his own death warrant.

There was something poetic about that, really.

That was the last clear thought before the bullets ripped through him. That, and Maria knew. Maria could get word to Melinda and Phil. Maria would tell them. And Steve had the intel. It wouldn’t go to waste. Natasha would make sure he’d put it to good use.

Funny that in that moment he had more trust in the people around him than he’d had in months.

Most of Rogers’ little insurrection was a blur. Too much pain, too much posturing. Hell, he shouldn’t have been out of bed, the shape he was in. He could almost hear Melinda and Phil in his head telling him to stop being such a stubborn bastard and let everyone else handle it. But he couldn’t. Not with the way things were. Besides, Natasha needed his clearance to get the job done. It wasn’t a job he agreed with. He tried to send out enough intel ahead of time through lesser known channels to people he knew he could trust. Bobbi. Clint. Victoria. A handful of others. But there wasn’t time and there was no way to know if the messages got through before the HYDRA interference started.

He swore he was going to get as many of the good agents out there out of trouble when Steve was done tearing down the world. Even if it actually killed him this time. Even standing over his own grave, that thought didn’t scare him. Disappearing didn’t scare him either. Not really. He almost smiled at the looks that Steve and his new sidekick were giving each other. Natasha caught him looking and smiled back, an assurance that she’d be taking care of both of them too. It was good. It was a sign that whatever Steve had needed to move on in his personal life, he’d gotten.

But he had other things he needed to deal with. HYDRA and all the good agents left out in the cold because of HYDRA. And Phil. Phil deserved to know the truth and if Melinda thought he could handle it; that he wasn’t going to fall apart because of it, well… Nick figured she’d probably know better than he would on that front. They really did need to talk. And if he was honest with himself about it, after almost dying, he missed them. He missed the apartment—which was now in Melinda’s name since he wasn’t sure they’d gotten that far in Phil’s resurrection paperwork and he was definitely in no position to be owning property—he missed having a solid place to go back to, to fight for.

One day, maybe they’d figure out how to do that again. They’d have to talk about that. On top of everything else. Assuming Phil wanted him anywhere near their life anymore. He wouldn’t really blame him if he never wanted to see Nick again. If Melinda backed him up, so be it. He’d always believed that if he had to sacrifice what he wanted for them to have a life, he’d do it. He wasn’t looking forward to testing that resolve, but he’d do it.

If only he could track them down.

He knew that wasn’t going to be easy. Of course it wasn’t. With Talbot breathing down everybody’s neck and his own uncertainty about whether or not Phil would even get the coordinates to Providence base… and then Maria told him Melinda had left the team. He seriously considered going after her first but everything pointed to Phil walking right into the mouth of the beast and Nick knew both of them well enough to know that when it came down to it, Melinda would be there with him.

Nick would too, if he could figure out where the hell the mouth of the beast actually was.

He followed rumors as he dug his people out from under HYDRA. Jasper and Blake were both quietly transferred to a secure location with the best medical treatment possible. Jasper had blinked up at him and almost smiled despite the pain he must have been in. “If I could move, sir. I’d kiss you right now.”

Bobbi was there too, keeping an eye on things and gathering intel. Clint was in and out of that base and anywhere else he could rest his head until he felt it was safe to go back to New York and rejoin his team. Nick hoped the Avengers would take him back in gladly. He knew Natasha’s mind on that and he had faith she’d make sure Clint had a home to go to.

He’d followed a faint beacon to a prison complex, pulling Phil’s old protégé out of there to help with the hunt for other agents. Amador was always good and she even smiled when she cracked a joke about him probably being the best one to help her with the whole depth perception thing.

Another beacon made his heart drop just a little. Fitzsimmons’ timing couldn’t have been better and Jemma lost consciousness just as they got the two of them into the chopper. He got what he needed from them and tried to tell her to take care of herself first. He was pretty sure she didn’t really listen. He wouldn’t have either so he couldn’t blame her at all.

He should have known though. He should have picked up on what the hell was going on with Garrett ages ago. But then he felt like he should have seen HYDRA coming a mile away too. He tried not to think about it as he dug through the piles of weaponry that had obviously found its way there after the Fridge was raided. He put his hand on one in particular, stomped down the memory of throwing it aside to get closer to Phil in those last moments and picked it up. That moment seemed like a good time for Phil to try it out again. If it came down to that. Given how HYDRA and Centipede operated, it would likely come down to that in a big way.

The thing that was gnawing at him though was Garrett. That was a personal failure staring him in the face and clearly gone completely around the bend. When he had time, which he was hoping would be soon, he might go over the times when he could have done something different but he got the feeling that Garrett wouldn’t have heard him even back then. Phil was right. The guy had never been a good listener. He should have seen it coming.

But he didn’t and now because of Steve’s crusade and his own missteps, there was a vacuum. Somebody was going to have to build things back up. And there was only one person he’d trust to do that. First though, that man was likely going to tear him a new asshole. He’d earned that right after everything he’d been through. Then, he could get to work on rebuilding everything that had crumbled in the last year. SHIELD was only part of it.

If Melinda and Phil still wanted him around, he was more than willing to put in the time and effort they would ask for. He could do that for them. In between hunting up the remaining pieces of HYDRA.

~*~*~*~

“I am absolutely not having this conversation!”

Skye smirked and took a sip of her beer. She was pretty sure that was the deepest blush she’d ever seen cross Jemma’s face. “Why not? I’d tell you mine if I had one that wouldn’t make work incredibly awkward.”

Trip laughed and shook his head. “Downside of not being around long before the fall, huh?”

“Something like that.”

“Well,” Fitz lifted another pretzel into his mouth, resolutely ignoring the small tremble in his hand. “If I had to pick…”

“You do.” Skye’s smirk was slowly morphing into a full blown evil grin. “We all do. It’s a team building exercise!” She almost laughed when she heard Jemma groan.

“If I had to pick.” Fitz looked at both of the girls pointedly. “Victoria Hand.”

“She was gay.” Jemma smiled and took a sip of her own beer.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Well, Skye didn’t say they’d have to want to sleep with me back now, did she?”

“The man’s got a point.”

“Thank you, Agent Triplett.”

Skye waved a hand. “Okay, okay. And I’m kinda with you on this one. She had presence.” Skye turned back to Jemma. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes. She was very lovely. Moving on now?” The tips of Jemma’s ears were turning a lovely shade of red. “Trip?”

“Hill. Definitely.” He smiled widely and Skye watched as Jemma’s blush grew darker. “Or Morse… there’s something about a sexy genius.”

Jemma took a few moments to cough up the beer that she choked on at that statement. Another sip from the bottle seemed to help. Skye was absolutely convinced this was the best idea they’d had in ages. A case of beer and a night off wasn’t really asking for much. At least it wasn’t for normal people who weren’t part of a defunct, shadowy organization like SHIELD. But they needed some time to decompress. It almost surprised her when May agreed with her and said she’d bring it up with Coulson.

He’d dropped the case of beer off a couple hours ago and nobody had seen him or May since she spotted them going into his rooms earlier.

She was internally smirking about that. And maybe a little externally too.

She tuned back into the conversation and apparently, Jemma hadn’t spilled the beans quite yet. “This is ridiculous.”

“Come on, it’s not that big a deal…” Skye smiled at her and winked over the lip of her bottle.

Jemma sighed and chewed on her lip a little. “Does Captain America count?”

“No. Everybody wants to sleep with Cap. That’s a cop out answer.” Fitz nudged her shoulder and smiled just a little. “We’ll just have to guess then.”

“No!” She sighed and shook her head. “I suppose… well, you already said Agent Hand…” She chewed her lip a little more and Skye had to force herself to look away from that poor abused lip. She glanced over and noticed that Trip seemed to be having the same problem. “Um… Agent Sitwell.”

“You shot him…”

“Well yes but I didn’t want to!”

“Clearly.” Trip chuckled lightly.

“Can we talk about literally anything else now?” Jemma took a long pull from her bottle before reaching for a new one. “Last one.” She grabbed the bottle opener beside her and popped the top off.

“That’s my cue to be off then.” Fitz got to his feet slowly; they were all suddenly tense and ready to help if he needed or asked for it. That was the thing that had been hardest on her and Jemma. Fitz had only gotten more stubborn after his near death experience and he was determined to do things on his own. After the first few outbursts, they started to let him. The only one that got away with being overtly helpful was Jemma, and even then he got frustrated when the connection between his mind and his body didn’t line up the way he wanted them to. “Don’t get into too much trouble now.” He smirked and started off down the hall toward his room, leaving the three of them with an empty case of beer.

Trip tossed his empty into the box and looked down the hall toward the kitchen. “Do we need more?”

Skye climbed to her feet and shrugged. “No harm in looking.” Jemma nodded and Trip shook his head. “Hey, how often do we get to do this?”

“Next to never.” Jemma nodded. If Trip noticed her sliding closer to him, he didn’t say anything. Skye on the other hand rolled her eyes and shook her head. “What?”

“Nothing. Don’t get naked without me.” With that, she left the room followed by Jemma’s sputtering and Trip’s laugh. She wasn’t entirely sure if they understood that she was only really half kidding at best.

She knew how Jemma felt about Trip. She knew she liked the guy a whole lot too. What she didn’t know yet was how to piece that all together. Her thing with Jemma had started out simply as comfort. Safety. After everything that happened to them, after Garrett and Ward and HYDRA and Fitz almost dying; there weren’t many people who would get it. So she’d taken a chance; leaned in and kissed Jemma until the tears stopped and the crazy thing was that Jemma kissed her back.

They hadn’t really talked about any of it yet. Which, granted was probably going to cause some issues somewhere along the way. Probably pretty soon given the flirting that had been going on around the gift beers. She knew there had to be a way to settle things; to get everyone what they wanted. There had to be. There were always options. She just had to come up with some.

She really wasn’t sure where Jemma’s head was on all this though. It was just a kissing thing—a kissing thing with some pretty major feelings behind it on her part anyway—and there was no illusion of exclusivity or anything. Honestly, that hadn’t even crossed her mind because she assumed that Jemma and Fitz would be a thing on their own at some point. And that was fine. Great even. But not knowing what Jemma thought about everything and not really having a solid read on Trip yet meant that bringing up something like that would be tricky. At best.

She didn’t want to think about the at worst version. They’d all had enough of ‘at worst’ at that point anyway.

Skye focused back in on the mission to find more beer. The kitchen facilities at the Playground were pretty impressive and she hadn’t quite figured out Billy’s storage system yet. She sighed and moved into the room, pulling the fridge open. There was a bottle of champagne in there but she figured somebody else had plans for that. She smiled to herself figuring that maybe Mom and Dad were having some quality alone time. They’d earned a night off as much as she and Jemma and Trip and Fitz had, after all. So that was clearly off limits.

And there was no beer.

She was half way through the second pantry when she heard someone in the hallway laugh. It wasn’t a familiar laugh though it sounded like it was connected to a voice she’d heard once or twice. The thing was, she had no idea why not-so-dead-ex-Director Fury would be at the Playground. Or why he’d be laughing. He didn’t seem the giggly type from the bits she’d seen.

“Gotta love how they think they can get around guys like us doing shit like that.” She could almost hear the shaking of Fury’s head in amusement. “So what’d you do with it?”

She stopped cold when she heard Coulson’s laugh. “We threw the cabinet out the window.” Skye knew Coulson had said his piece to Fury about everything and it was all done when Fury handed over the reins to SHIELD. But she didn’t think they were best buds or anything after all that. Apparently she was wrong. “Now where the hell is Koenig keeping the glasses?”

“Over here, maybe?”

Skye risked a peak out, the room was mostly dark with just the light from the hallway lighting the space nearer to the door. Fury was leaning on the counter, and judging by the tone of his voice, very pleased about something. She heard Coulson huff as he moved closer. Very close actually. If she didn’t know better…

“You’re in the way.” Coulson’s voice was more teasing than she’d ever heard it.

That got another chuckle from Fury who reached out and pulled Coulson closer still and… Oh, she was not seeing this. There was no way her boss was making out with his ex-boss in the kitchen like they were horny teenagers. She was absolutely not seeing this.

Her mind swirled for a moment. She’d been so sure about Coulson and May. So absolutely sure something was going on there, even when May and Ward were having their thing. This just led her to wonder how long May had been playing Coulson’s beard.

Her attention snapped back into place as they broke apart, gasping for breath. Must have been a hell of a kiss. “So about those glasses.”

Fury chuckled again and turned around. If Coulson groped his ass, Skye didn’t want to know. “Here we go.” He pulled down a couple glasses and handed them to Coulson. But she counted three in his hand. That didn’t make any sense. Fury leaned in, kissing Coulson again, softer this time by the look of it, but still driving a noise she’d never thought to hear from her boss’s throat. “Go keep Mel warm for me. I’ll bring the bottle.”

“Fair warning. We’ll probably start without you.”

“Of course you will.” One more kiss passed between them before Fury smacked Coulson playfully on the ass. “Go on. I’m expecting a show when I get there now.”

Holy. Shit. Skye wondered just how far her jaw could drop. May was in on it too? That was too much. She shook her head, trying to parse out the information. May, Fury and Coulson were… what? A couple? threesome? Triad? Whatever it was, it must have dated back a while. And suddenly things started to make a whole lot more sense. She’d never been able to figure out why anybody would go to such lengths to bring back an employee. Even a friend. But a partner? A lover? Yeah, that she could get. Grief did weird things to people’s centers of the universe after all. She wondered if she could dig through some of the old personnel files…

“You can come out now.”

It took a second to sink in but she shrank deeper into the pantry. So much for all the super spy training.

“I know you’re there, Skye. Get your ass out here.”

She sighed heavily and stepped out of the dark toward the man standing by the door. “Are you still supposed to be giving orders around here?”

He smirked and she found it actually looked pretty good on him. “You want me to call your SO and your director in here?”

“No, sir.”

“Okay then.”

“So,” she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, trying not to be too intimidated. She was failing and she knew it. “Mom and Dad have a special friend we don’t get to talk about, huh?”

He chuckled for a moment. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“I thought there were regulations… fraternization protocols and stuff.”

“There were. There probably will be again.”

“But…”

“But there are always loopholes. Especially near the top.” He leaned back against the counter again. “I thought you liked bending the rules.”

She shrugged. There was no point in arguing about it. It was the truth. “That’s a hell of a carrot to chase.”

That got another chuckle. “At this point, I think your team is in the safe zone.”

She nodded slowly, taking that in for a moment before she started in again. “So… how long…?”

“A long time.” She saw the beginnings of a smile as he spoke.

“A long time, like a couple years or?”

“Longer than you’ve been alive.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.” He pulled the fridge door open and picked up the bottle of champagne she’d seen earlier. “We don’t get a lot of time.”

“Yeah, I bet being dead really cuts into the social life.” She smiled. “But just… one more thing?”

“Just one.”

“How…” She sighed and tried to solidify the thought in her head. It was an option. A solution but she wasn’t sure she had the right way to go about it. “How do you even get there?”

“Same way everybody else does. But you work twice as hard at it.”

“Doesn’t anybody around here ever take the easy route?” She muttered it more to herself than to him.

He was halfway out into the hallway when he answered. “Nope.”

She moved to the door and called after him. “Is it worth it?”

“With the right people? Absolutely.”

She walked back to where Jemma and Trip were in a daze. The whole thing seemed surreal but it made sense. In some twisted way, it really made a lot of sense given what kind of lives they lived. Clinging to the good things, no matter how unorthodox they were, would be something Coulson would definitely get behind. The more she turned the idea over in her head, the more sense it made. And the more she wondered if she could do something like that.

Or if anybody would be interested, for that matter.

Jemma had moved closer again to Trip. He was leaning in, fingers just a breath away from her knee. Skye smiled at the very lovely picture the two of them made. “So!” She drew their attention to her with a grin. “Did you guys know that Coulson, May and Fury are fucking?”

If she lived forever, she’d never forget the look on Jemma’s face in that moment. Trip looked a little guarded, like he was thinking something over. That was interesting. Very interesting. Jemma managed to speak before Skye got much further down that road. “How… I mean you didn’t just walk in—“

“No! Oh god, no!” She shook her head. “I caught Coulson and Fury in the kitchen. Caught a little of the conversation. Got a little confirmation too. They’re celebrating something in there, I think.”

Trip nodded. “I can’t really see any of them doing the quick fuck thing.”

“Fury said they’ve been together longer than I’ve been alive so… no. No quick fucking. And ew, I never want to think about that ever again.” That got a soft laugh out of Trip. “What?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “Just thinking about something I heard my aunts talk about once when I was a kid.”

Jemma’s eyebrow crept up. “Dare we ask?”

“Nothing like that. Just that my grandparents had a thing with somebody else during the war.”

“The grandparents?” Skye smiled.

“Yeah, those ones.” He laughed again. “Looks like its kind of a SHIELD tradition.”

“For the upper brass anyway.” Jemma sighed and sat back a bit. “The rest of us do have regulations to consider.”

“Had, actually.” Skye shrugged and moved closer, sitting down next to Jemma. “I mean, who knows what the rules are going to be now, right? Maybe Coulson will loosen that bit up a little. Seems like he’s got some sympathy there.”

“Maybe.” Trip smiled at the two of them as Jemma leaned closer to Skye. “Seems like it’ll make things easier on you two.”

Skye felt the heat of Jemma’s cheek through her t-shirt. “Or all of us.” The words left her before she’d really thought about it. But that was her MO. Charge forward and deal with the fallout when it hit. They both stared at her for a moment. “What? I’m not blind.”

Jemma cleared her throat and sat up straight. “Maybe we should talk about this later? Without the beer?”

Trip nodded slowly and Skye thought she caught a bit of sadness in the look he shot at her. “That’s probably a good idea.” He got to his feet, offering them both a hand up. “It’s something to think on though.”

Jemma was blushing again. “Right. Yes. Well…” She pulled at her top in an attempt to straighten it out a little. “Good night, then.” She smiled at them both and nearly bolted down the hall toward her room.

“I freaked her out.”

“I’ll say.” Trip looked over at her and she found herself listing the reasons this would be a good idea in her head. She hadn’t gotten to the bad idea list yet. “It’s a big deal. She’s got every right to be freaked out.”

“Yeah. I’m not good with subtle hints.”

“Duly noted.” She found herself looking away as he studied her. “It’s not just the beers talking?”

“Nope.”

“Okay.” He nodded and started toward the door. “Think about it though. If we’re not all in on this, it’s not going to happen. Deal?”

“Deal.” She smiled as he headed down toward his own door. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

She should have known better than to set her alarm for her normal wake up time when she climbed into bed. It wasn’t that she was hung over, just that she wanted more sleep. Which was justified in her mind since she’d found herself doing some serious mental gymnastics while trying to get to sleep. That didn’t really help her case either. But Trip had told her to really think on the whole triad, threesome thing so she had. Because she sure wasn’t sleeping. And the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.

The thing was, she felt like she needed a little more first hand perspective than she had to really decide on anything. She considered going to Coulson when she was done training. It would be awkward as anything but he wouldn’t bullshit her about it so that was a plus.

As May made her way through the door—a full ten minutes after Skye had gotten there—that idea flew out the window. “Rough night?” The raised eyebrow that got her was enough of an answer. Actually it was too much of an answer because Skye absolutely did not want to think about the old guard’s sex lives. It was in close enough proximity as it was. She let it go as May waved her over to the heavy bag. A few rounds later though, her brain was moving faster than her fists. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Something personal?”

“You can ask.” May shrugged. “I won’t promise you’ll get an answer.”

Skye nodded. “Fair enough.” She hit the bag a few more times. “Just… you guys have been together a long time right?”

She caught the flash of a small smile before May nodded. “Yeah, we have.”

“But…” this was a touchy subject. Skye felt she might have been pushing her luck with it but she wanted to get a clear sense of how these things could work. “Ward…”

May sighed. “What about him?”

“If you were with Coulson and Fury…”

“That never changed.” May shook her head and moved back toward the bench, grabbing a bottle of water and tossing one to Skye. “What you’re looking for is a full lesson on how this all works, right?”

“Bingo.”

“Why?”

“Curiosity?” That got her another raised eyebrow. She shifted a little on her feet as she opened the bottle and took a long sip. “Okay, I’m just trying to figure out how that works. I mean most people would be kinda pissed if their girlfriend… wife… whatever was out fucking other people.”

“Most people, sure. Not us.”

“Why not?”

May smiled again. “Because it’s not just me out there. We all know how the job can take a toll. We decided early on that sex happens in the heat of the moment and you bond with people you work closely with but what we wanted with each other is more important than that.”

That was a new twist. “So, it’s the three of you and some pieces on the side?”

“Pretty much. Not so much at this point but, yeah.”

“That simple?”

“No. But definitely worth it in the long run.” She sighed again and drank from her own water bottle. “As long as you’re honest about what you want and what you’re getting into.”

“Fury said the same thing, basically.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Skye ran the history she knew in her head for a minute as they rehydrated. Coulson’s death and resurrection, the team being formed, Fury’s ‘death’, the fall of SHIELD… she couldn’t help but wonder how anybody kept it together through all of that. “The last year must have sucked…”

“It did for a lot of reasons.” May got to her feet again. “Let’s get to the speed bag.”

The subject was officially dropped. And Skye spent the next hour or so moving on autopilot as she fit the new information into her assessment. They seemed stronger than most of the couples she’d known in her life but she wasn’t writing that off as a reason to dive into the same kind of thing with Trip and Jemma. Besides, she wasn’t sure they’d be up for it anyway. She didn’t want to do the whole making people choose thing. That never went well.

She was still ass deep in it all when Trip found her in the kitchen, spinning an apple on the island. She jumped when he sat down next to her. “Sorry. Looks like some deep thoughts.”

“Deep and complicated.” She smiled. “The best kind.”

“Seems to be a lot of that going around here, lately.”

“Yeah.” She dragged the word out before taking a bite of her apple. “My bad. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. It’s a pretty solid plan.”

“You think?”

“I’m starting to.”

Skye nodded, taking a bite of her apple. “It does make a lot of sense. You like Jemma. I like Jemma and you are definitely not so bad.” He chuckled and tipped the bottle of water in his hand toward her as a thank you. “We should like each other together in one big pile.”

Trip laughed, full out. It wasn’t a sound that got a lot of mileage anymore but hearing it made her think again that this was an excellent idea. “Well then, if Jemma’s in, I think we’ll have to come up with a date night.”

“Probably a couple.”

“True enough.” He smiled and took another sip of his water.

“Well, first things first…” Her impulse control took a dive a moment later and she leaned over, pressing a comparatively chaste--but hopefully interesting enough to get his attention--kiss to his lips.

She felt him smile when a soft, interested “Oh!” sounded from by the door. “Well…” Jemma cleared her throat and moved into the kitchen as they pulled apart. “That definitely clears things up, doesn’t it?” She laughed, pulling an orange from the fruit bowl and picking at the peel. “I was worried this was going to be awkward and unnecessarily wordy.”

Skye grinned, grabbed the orange and pulled Jemma closer, pressing a far more heated kiss to her lips. “There will still have to be words.”

“Mhmm. Of course. Wouldn’t dream of not negotiating.” She smiled and looked over at Trip. “Well?”

He got up and moved toward them, slipping an arm around Jemma’s waist and kissing her softly. Skye nearly moaned. If they didn’t stop this soon, she’d do something obscene right there on the island. But he pulled back and looked at them both. “We can start talking about it over dinner.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“All right.” Skye’s smile widened. Jemma’s blush was brightening by the second. She couldn’t quite help herself. “Fair warning though? I’m kinda going to want to see you guys naked sometime soon.”

She was right. That darkened the blush considerably and, as an added bonus, got another full laugh from Trip. As beginnings went, it was a damn good one in Skye’s opinion.

~*~*~*~

Nick had planned on grabbing something to eat for the road on his way out. What he found was that while he was packing up, his partners had decided to hang out near the kitchen doorway. He looked over Phil’s shoulder as he reached them and smiled. It wasn’t surprising, really. Given the curiosity level he’d picked up on in the girl the night before, the idea must have been floating around for a little while anyway.

Phil looked up at him and then at Melinda, that worried little crinkle starting to form between his eyes. Nick barely resisted the urge to bend down and kiss it. “What did you two say to her?”

“The truth.” Melinda shrugged and Nick followed suit.

Phil sighed and looked back at the cluster of young agents standing very near to each other at the far end of the kitchen. “Their timing kind of sucks.”

Nick let out a small laugh and kissed Phil’s temple. “Yeah, it does.” He threw a wink at Melinda who shook her head at him. “But it’s a good sign.”

“Oh?” Melinda’s eyebrow rose considerably.

“Yeah.” He nearly grinned at the thought in his head. It made sense in a weird, cosmic kind of way. They were back to square one after all, back where SHIELD all began and something about this just felt like it was meant to be. That the heart of SHIELD was still beating as it always had, even when HYDRA had infested the rest of it. “Can’t start breaking tradition now.”


End file.
